How Your Friends Make It Easy to be Healthy All Year Long
For almost three years now, my son Chris and I have been making health goals together every month. Although we are from different generations, age doesn’t matter when it comes to health. We have the same goals of good dietary choices, exercise, sleep and such. These habits create lifelong health.
Since Chris and I started to share monthly health goals with each other, we’ve improved our lifestyle. In 2017, we got to the point where we were both down to our ideal weight, improved our eating habits, and developed exercise routines that worked for us.
In 2018, we were humming along very well, until October. At that time, we became deterred by time, weather, sickness, and then the holiday season.
Now that a new year is beginning, Chris and I are reviewing last year’s goals and planning new goals, picking up from where we left off. Our last goals were to try to get back our previously good habits of exercising regularly and eating foods that are good for us.
I think the lesson here is that even if we improve our habits, we can lose them during busy or stressful times. Over the years, I have had long periods of regular exercise and then something would get in the way; then I wouldn’t be keeping up with exercise for awhile; and then I would get back in the swing again.
How do you combat this? I don’t know. We’re just trying to get back on track. If you know of any secrets you can share with us, please do let us know in the comments below!
I do have to say, though, that having a buddy to support you as you try to get back into good form really helps! Chris and I encouraged each other to start again.
Here’s what we accomplished last year:
January
Chris’s goal for January was to get back to the healthy eating patterns that have become his normal diet since working on these goals for the last couple of years. That means less carbs, fried and greasy foods and maybe a little less sugar.
I agreed to go to the gym twice a week. I also thought it would be a good thing to start tracking my exercise with the My Fitness Pal app. I never managed to get it synced up in a way that worked for me, however!
Chris and I worked our way back to our previous good habits, gradually gaining momentum as the month went on.
February
My goal was to exercise three times a week, twice at the gym and once at home…with the exception of times when I get alternative exercise…like going to the mall and power walking while I’m there, or going to a hotel and swimming in the pool….
Chris planned to continue doing what he was doing until his film shoot in Los Angeles ended. After that, he wanted to continue the diet but not as strictly, maybe a cheat day once a week.
With the incentive of getting in shape for a film part which included taking off his shirt, Chris did not waver from his goals. He waited for the shoot to end, and when he got back to New York, he celebrated with a cheat day and enjoyed every minute of it!
I liked my exercise plan and it turned out well.
March
In March, Chris and I decided to try having a cheat day once a week.
I discovered that cheat days don’t work for me. My will power seems to be on auto-pilot. When I don’t eat the way I intend to, I just automatically put myself right back on track. My Fitness Pal, though, is the key to knowing what is in the foods I eat.
After filming on location in Los Angeles, Chris got back home to New York. He was working in the city every day and was surrounded by junk food, which made him feel like every day was a cheat day. So he went from a spartan diet in February to a decadent diet in March — a tale of two cities?
April
For April, Chris’s goal was to try to find healthy foods most days and only allow junk food one day a week.
My goal was to drink more water.
Another busy month, and Chris had a hard time finding time for good food and exercise. He walks all day in New York City, though. Instead of having a cheat day once a week, it turned out that Chris had a flex meal about once every few days. Most days, though, he had something healthy like quinoa with chicken. He hadn’t put on weight yet, so obviously he was improving his moving toward a more balanced diet again.
I did drink more water, but only increased my pitiful two glasses a day to four. I also learned that many drinks, and even things like watermelon, count as water.
May
Chris decided that it might be a good idea to use the app on his phone, My Fitness Pal, so that he could strike a better balance between healthy foods and good-tasting foods.
I wanted to increase my water intake to six glasses a day. I decided to carry a refillable water bottle with me when leaving the house.
Checking My Fitness Pal app on a cell phone for every meal can be time-consuming and Chris just didn’t have that time while working on a play.
Throughout the month, I gradually increased my water intake to at least six glasses of water or more. But I failed to develop the habit of carrying a refillable water bottle with me when I left the house.
June
Chris’s goal was to sleep and take a vacation to a sunny place.
My goal was to swim once a week, with a backup plan of swimming indoors or on an extra day if bad weather gets in the way.
Chris had trouble sleeping when he finally had a little more time for it. And instead of going away on vacation, he hung out with friends more often.
I didn’t make it out to swim the first half of June, but the weather suddenly got very hot and then I began my swim season.
July
I decided to try out the app Map My Walk when I walk instead of swim.
Chris agreed to try meditation.
I decided that the “Map My Walk” app on my iPhone was useless to me.
Chris and I forgot that his goal was to try meditating, because the reason for trying that was the overall goal of sleeping!
August and September
For August, I planned on using my pedometer to measure my walks. I also wanted to experiment with Health for iPhone by carrying my phone in my purse, a hip pouch or maybe even buying an armband. And I wanted to continue swimming every week.
Chris’s goal was to start taking Olly Goodbye Stress supplements, exercise as much as possible, add yoga to his exercise routine, and get away for mini vacations on weekends.
Chris and I didn’t get all these goals accomplished in August, so we continued working on them for the month of September.
By the end of September I had gotten all of my swim days in, but measuring my walks with a pedometer or Health for iPhone app wasn’t helpful to me. I ended up calculating my walks by counting steps and time.
Chris never bought the Goodbye Stress supplements and he didn’t do yoga, but he did get to the gym once or twice a week and he enjoyed getting out of town the first two weekends of the month. He also walked a lot, sometimes 11 miles or 30,000 steps in one day.
October and November
For the month of October, I intended to try including fruits, vegetables and proteins in every meal.
Chris wanted to start finding the time to get to the gym three or four days a week again.
Chris and I tried for two months to accomplish these goals but were inundated with way too much to do. We finally decided that we had to learn to prioritize and just let the rest go.
December
For December, Chris and I wanted to try to get back our previously good habits of exercising regularly and eating foods that are good for us.
That was a pretty general goal, and it seems like December isn’t conducive to getting exercise and eating healthy foods. We tried, but fell short of what we had hoped for. We can always try again next month…as in: there’s always a new day!
This buddy system is helping me to continually strive to improve my health in many ways, and we have learned many things along the way. I have new habits that are keeping me at my ideal weight. As long as Chris is still willing, I look forward to building lifelong health together.
Do you set goals for better health? How is it working for you? Do you have a buddy system? Let us know in the comments below!
Like this post? You might also like to read:
- “This is What Happens When You Practice Yoga“
- “Why Would You Want to be 35 for 200 Years?”
- “Is Your Lipstick Killer In More Ways Than One?”
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I think having a buddy is the best thing. Not that you need someone to look over you, but it’s a great way to have help and someone to lean on.
I just finished a 3 month yoga challenge with two other bloggers. The accountability made me think twice when I wasn’t going to do it. Not that we have to be crazy about it, but it helps!!!
In fact, I loved the yoga experience I tried online so much that I’m continuing it most days. I’m sure it’s helped with so many issues.
As for the water, that’s a habit I got into when working. I would fill a pitcher with a good amount for me and make sure I drank it throughout the day. I still do that most days, and I think it’s SO helpful!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Ok, Jodie, I’ll take your advice and try filling a pitcher with water for the day. I’ve been doing better again, though, since I noticed I was tapering off. I just need to keep up the habit, and your tip might help with that!